Top 10 Majors That Make it Tough to Break into the Job Market

January 29, 2014

University is a time to study what you love, but sometimes, what you love may require an extra amount of dedication in the post-grad job search.

1. Fine Arts: The way artists typically supported themselves—benefactors—is fading away quickly as individuals and corporations increasingly turn to digital means for work. It's not to say a career in the fine arts isn't possible, but that it pays poorly and offers an extremely unstable future.

2. Film, Video and Photographic Arts: For many of the same reasons as above, majoring in this area requires a mind of steel, because times will be very tough. Everyone with a smartphone fancies themselves a photographer and videographer, making it hard to compete with such cheap labor.

3. Agriculture: Farming just isn't what it used to be, especially with schools like the University of Idaho cutting their agricultural program. Farms are becoming increasingly efficient, which means that new works have to be incredibly dedicated and passionate.

4. Theater: Acting and theater work is as vibrant as can be in 2014—but not as much as it used to be—but working in a playhouse is erratic, low-paying and unpredictable.

5. Anthropology and Archaeology: The unemployment rate for recent grads is 10.5%, but for the other 89.5% who can find a job in the field, they face median earnings of $28,000.

6. Philosophy and Religion: Unless a teaching career or grad school is in order—which doesn't offer a secure or promising job future, median salaries depending on experience range from $30,000 to $48,000.

7. English: One of the most-maligned majors, English grads face a future in which they have to think creatively—pardon the pun—to make a living. Related careers like writing, teaching and research carry with them a small paycheck, and a need to work hard to get there.

8. Journalism: Print media is dying with a -6% projected job growth from 2010 to 2020, which means that the online jobs will be filled with seasoned journalists who used to be employed in print.

9. History: It's important to be educated on the past, as it illuminates where we came from and how we're defined. But it's also important to think to the future, and history grads can expect to earn less than $3,000/month.

10. Music: It's one of the oldest professions, yet also one of the most poorly-paid, too. Senior players in orchestras—and rock stars—can be paid anywhere from quite comfortably to very handsomely, but there are very few positions available.